Jharsuguda: After BJP, the ruling BJD is planning a procession from the party office to sub-collector’s office for filing of nomination by Deepali Das, daughter of slain minister Naba Kishore Das, on Tuesday for bypoll to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency slated for May 10.
At least six ministers and a host of senior leaders will accompany Deepali during filing of nomination. Several BJD leaders, including Industries minister Pratap Keshari Deb, Finance minister Niranjan Pujari and former minister Arun Sahu, have already reached Jharsuguda, party sources said.
On April 15, she collected the BJD ticket from party president Naveen Patnaik.
On Monday, accompanied by state BJP president Manmopahan Samal and a host of senior leaders and workers, Tankadhar Tripathy came in a huge procession to the sub-collector’s office and submitted his nomination paper at the office of Jharsuguda deputy collector. Congress candidate Tarun Pandey filed his papers on Saturday in presence of OPCC president Sarat Patnaik, Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and others.
Also Read: BJP’s Pick Sets Ground For Clash Of Debutants In Jharsuguda Bypoll In Odisha
All three major parties in the state have fielded debutants in the bypoll, which most probably is the last before the next assembly elections in Odisha and is likely to set the tone for the ‘Big Battle’ in 2024. Another debutant BJD’s Barsha Singh Bariha won the Padampur by-election in December.
If BJD, riding on a sympathy wave, wins it can claim to have quelled the BJP challenge in western Odisha and also dilute the Dhamnagar victory narrative of the saffron party. A win for Deepali might also reduce the discussion on Naba Kishore Das murder, and in a way help ruling BJD wriggle out of an embarrassing situation ahead of the next polls.
Also Read: Jharsuguda Bypoll: Why It Could Set The Tone For Next Assembly Polls In Odisha
Deepali has already been undertaking extensive tours of Jharsuguda assembly constituency and interacting with people at the grassroots apart from holding meetings and other programmes.
Though Jharsuguda was once a Congress stronghold, it started losing its foothold after Naba dumped the party and joined the BJD before the 2019 assembly election. Naba, who was the Congress MLA from Jharsuguda in 2009 and 2014, won the seat on a BJD ticket in 2019.
The grand old party has fielded Tarun Pandey, son of former Jharsuguda MLA Biren Pandey, who passed away last month, with the hope to garner sympathy votes. The party has lost deposits in 5 bypolls in Odisha since 2019.
With April 20 being the last date for filing of nominations, some Independent candidates and nominees of other parties are also expected to file papers for the bypoll race. The nominations will be scrutinized on April 21 and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is April 24.
